Contemporary studies of spatial and social cognition frequently use human figures asstimuli. The interpretation of such studies may be complicated by spatialcompatibility effects that emerge when researchers employ spatial responses, andparticipants spontaneously code spatial relationships about an observed body. Yet,the nature of these spatial codes – whether they are location- or object-based, andcoded from the perspective of the observer or the figure – has not been determined.Here, we investigated this issue by exploring spatial compatibility effects arising forobjects held by a visually presented whole-bodied schematic human figure. In threeexperiments, participants responded to the colour of the object held in the figure’s leftor right hand, using left or right key presses. Left-right compatibility effects werefound relative to the participant’s egocentric perspective, rather than the figure’s.These effects occurred even when the figure was rotated by 90 degrees to the left or tothe right, and the coloured objects were aligned with the participant’s midline. Thesefindings are consistent with spontaneous spatial coding from the participant’sperspective and relative to the normal upright orientation of the body. This evidencefor object-based spatial coding implies that the domain general cognitive mechanismsthat result in spatial compatibility effects may contribute to certain spatialperspective-taking and social cognition phenomena.

Vollmer, Brigitte and Edmonds, C. 2019. School Age Neurological and Cognitive Outcomes of Fetal Growth Retardation or Small for Gestational Age Birth Weight. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 10, p. Art. 186.

Edmonds, C. and Pring, Linda 2006. Generating inferences from written and spoken language: a comparison of children with visual impairment and children with sight. British Journal of Developmental Psychology. 24 (2), pp. 337-351.

Edmonds, C. and Jeffes, Ben 2009. Does having a drink help you think? 6–7-year-old children show improvements in cognitive performance from baseline to test after having a drink of water. Appetite. 53 (3), pp. 469-472.